Dear Colleagues,

Humans, like all living beings on our planet, exist in a 24-hour cycle of alternating light and dark. We, therefore, contain cyclic body systems that permit us to function efficiently and sleep, wake, eat, work, and rest at times that are appropriate for our cycling environment. This Special Issue addresses the genetic and molecular basis of our circadian rhythms and sleep–wake cycle. A master clock, in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, maintains a rhythm of close to 24 hours that is synchronized to the environment predominantly by a light signal from the retina. That clock, in turn, regulates numerous cellular clocks in body systems by neural, autonomic, and neuroendocrine signals. It also feeds into and receives input from the lateral hypothalamus that permits integration with the sleep–wake regulating system. The importance of these systems cannot be underestimated. Disturbances of circadian regulation and sleep–wake timing mechanisms can lead to severe disorders and in some cases may be incompatible with continued existence. It should also be noted that the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Jeffrey Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael Young for their discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms.

Prof. Gregory Michael Brown
Prof. James L. Kennedy
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.